Unlikely pair put Blacksburg in a new book

A 16-year-old Spartanburg Day School student and an 81-year-old Blacksburg resident have united to put together a book of photos chronicling Blacksburg’s history.

By Zach Foxzach.fox@shj.com

A 16-year-old Spartanburg Day School student and an 81-year-old Blacksburg resident have united to put together a book of photos chronicling Blacksburg’s history.Bobby Gilmer Moss has spent his entire life, with the exception of leaving for school, in the small Cherokee County town of Blacksburg. He suffers from Parkinson’s disease and now spends most of his time in a wheelchair, but he doesn’t let his condition stop him from sharing his interest in history.“We were just two people who met up who had interest in the county and wanted to preserve it,” Moss said.Will Cobb is a student less than a quarter of Moss’ age, but the two have a lot in common. They first met at a book signing at the Cherokee County library. The library had released a book of photos that featured Gaffney, and the two wanted to make sure Blacksburg had its story published.“We felt like Blacksburg was kind of left out,” Cobb said.The duo began researching the book by digging through obituaries in the Herald-Journal. From there, they were able to find living relatives of those who had a hand in developing the town of Blacksburg.Cobb said they contacted people as far away as New Jersey and Texas for the project.“Finding people with information was one of the most difficult things,” he said.The research had to be done during Cobb’s summer and winter breaks from school, and during that time, Moss taught him a lot about the history of the area. Moss has written more than 15 books on the American Revolution, and during the filming of the movie “The Patriot,” he said Mel Gibson came to him to get a better understanding of the historical events the movie would attempt to portray.The almost 82-year-old Moss was honored to share the history of his hometown.

“I want people from Blacksburg to be proud of Blacksburg and their role in beginning the United States,” he said.Moss and Cobb released the book, along with a gallery of historical photos at 111 North Shelby St. in downtown Blacksburg.The gallery, with copies of the book, will be open Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m.